Washington Post executive editor
Leonard Downie Jr. was online Friday, Nov. 18, at 10
a.m. ET to discuss Bob Woodward 's revelation that
he may have been the first reporter told of Valerie Plame
's identity as a CIA operative. Woodward apologized to The Washington
Post Wednesday for withholding that information for over two
years.

Silver Spring, Md.: Going online like this is a very
stand-up thing to do. I wish more people in powerful positions
stepped up like you are doing here.

Do you think Woodward and other members of the media involved
in the Plame investigation understand how they were used by the
Bush White House? Not unlike the way Mark Felt used Woodward
thirty years ago to get back at the Nixon White House. But Felt's
leaks uncovered malfeasance in the administration, but here it
appears the leaks were used to discredit a person revealing mistakes
made by the Bush administration. This I think is a significant
difference. Do you agree?

Leonard Downie Jr.: Many officials, when they talk
to reporters, are trying to use them to get their point of view
or version of events into print. The job of reporters and editors
is to sift through everything we are told to produce the most
accurate, full and fair account of reality possible.

_______________________

Sarlat La Caneda, France: One cannot help but think
that Bob Woodward in this instance either deliberately held back
this information for his own purpose - he does after all need
to have access to the President and his cabinet to complete research
on his new book.

Leonard Downie Jr.: His reasons were that he wanted
to avoid being subpoenaed in the Fitzgerald investigation and
being forced to reveal his source. I understand that, but he
nevertheless should have come to me and we would have decided
together how to proceed. It is quite possible that if he had
come to me, as he should have, we still would not have been able
to publish anything if his source had refused to release Woodward
from their confidentiality agreement, as indeed the source has
so far.

_______________________

Chicago, Ill.: If Woodward lied about this issue. What
makes you think he has not lied before or will continue to lie?
Do you think Woodward was covering up for the Vice President?

Leonard Downie Jr.: Bob Woodward never lied. He failed
to come to me sooner and tell me something he should have told
me. Once he did tell me last month, he told me everything about
it. I've worked with Bob for 33 years, and he has always been
truthful in person and in his work. He is also one of the most
careful, accurate and fair journalists I have every worked with.

_______________________

Oak Park, Ill.: What message do you think it sends
to your newsroom when there is one set of rules for "stars"
and another for the worker bees? And how would you describe the
newsroom morale in the wake of the Woodward's statement published
in The Post? Is it "upbeat," as Sultzberger described
newsroom morale following Judith Miller's statement in the Times?

Leonard Downie Jr.: There is only one of set of rules
for everyone working in our newsroom. In this one instance, Bob
two mistakes -- not telling me sooner about his conversation
with this source and expressing opinions on television about
the Fitzgerald investigation. He has acknowledged both mistakes
and apologized. In the future, I expect him to work within our
newsroom's standards, as he always has except for these two mistakes.
I also expect him to continue the outstanding reporting that
he has provided our readers for more than three decades in this
newspaper and his books.

_______________________

Austin, Tex.: Mr. Downie, thank you for taking the
time to speak with us, the public. Can you give us any insight
as to why Mr. Woodward would say that he didn't tell you about
his role or his sources because he was worried about being subpoenaed
in 2003 when press subpoenas were not issued until 2004?

To my knowledge no one was even talking about subpoenas at
that time. Patrick Fitzgerald wasn't even appointed as special
prosecutor until December 2003, and the first journalists, from
NBC and Time, weren't subpoenaed until May 2004. Judy Miller
wasn't subpoenaed until August 2004, and she didn't do jail time
until summer 2005.

Leonard Downie Jr.: Initially, Bob didn't tell me about
this brief conversation, which was part of a long interview on
other subjects, because it seemed unimportant. It was before
the Novak column about Valerie Plame and before anyone knew about
her covert CIA status. It was later, after the Fitzgerald investigation
was underway, that Bob became concerned about being subpoenaed.
In the meantime, however, once the relevance of his conversation
became clear because of the controversy over the Novak column,
Bob should have told me about his conversation, even if we would
have been unable to publish anything about it because of his
confidentiality agreement with his source.

_______________________

Worcester, Mass.: Maybe you can shed some light on
the 'bombshell' Woodward was rumored to be working on which was
to be published in The Post the day of Libby's indictment? Woodward
himself suggested this week that he was working on a story related
to the Plame case. If true what happened to it. And why was there
a plan to come out with the story on Fitzgerald's big day?

Thanks.

Leonard Downie Jr.: Along with several other Post reporters,
Bob was trying to find out what he could about the Plame investigation
because Fitzgerald announced indictments. But he not landed any
bombshell story -- or any story at all. It was just a rumor.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Good morning,

I want to know if Mr. Woodward it going to publicly apologize
to Mr. Fitzgerald for his public, personal attacks over the course
of the investigation. It is obvious now he was doing so for his
own personal gain, and he needs to make amends publicly.

Leonard Downie Jr.: As Bob has said, he objected in
principle to having reporters forced by Fitzgerald to testify
about confidential source relationships and about the chilling
effect he feared it would have on reporting. Nevertheless, as
Bob has acknowledged, he should not have been expressing his
personal views about the investigation on television.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: Should Bob Woodward resign or be separated
from The Washington Post for withholding valuable information
for two years from The Post staff and the American public?

Leonard Downie Jr.: Absolutely not. This is one mistake
that Bob has made in over three decades of extraordinary reporting,
beginning with Watergate, that has performed a great public service
for our readers and all Americans by revealing more about how
our government works -- and holding it accountable -- than any
other journalist. And, as I've said, even though he should have
told me about this information much sooner, we may well not have
been able to publish it at the time because of his confidentiality
agreement with his source.

_______________________

McLean, Va.: Dear Mr. Downie,

I understand you were likely dismayed at Mr. Woodward's revelation
about his knowledge in the Plame case, but I hope it will not
affect his position at The Post or his relationship with the
paper. Is it not true that keeping your word with an unnamed
source is what's most important, and Mr. Woodward did just that?
In some regards, I think Mr. Woodward should have come forward
sooner but on the other hand doesn't a reporter have any privacy
in their own lives? Is a reporter always morally obligated to
tell everything he/she knows about a subject to his/her employer?
I do hope Mr. Woodward is not punished for this one mistake.

Leonard Downie Jr.: I agree with you, except that reporters
should share with their editors significant information of his
kind, even in a confidential source relationship, so that the
editors can help the reporter decide what to do with it in the
best interests of our readers, as well as making certain we do
not violate a confidential source agreement.

_______________________

Pasadena, Calif.: Why has Mr. Woodward been kept on
the payroll, even though most of his work the past several years
has gone into research for his books?

How is this justified when he admits that he has worked closely
with the administration in order to do his research?

Leonard Downie Jr.: While researching his books, Bob
has often produced stories for the newspaper from that reporting
or, as he did after the 9-11 terrorist attacks, dropped his book
research to use his access and reporting skills to produce important
stories about aspects of the war on terror that no other reporter
produced. In addition, our readers have benefited from Bob's
book research in the extensive excerpts and series of articles
by him that we have published in the paper in advance of the
publication of each of his books.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: I am less troubled by the internal
shoulda-told-the-boss and journalism issues than I am by Woodward's
very public criticisms of the special prosecutor. Calling Fitzgerald
a "junk-yard dog" while withholding information that
now has stood the investigation on its head was simply inexcusable.
The next time I hear Woodward say anything, I will have to wonder
what he's hiding.

Leonard Downie Jr.: Bob has acknowledged that he should
not have done that and has apologized for it.

_______________________

Centreville, Va.: Fitzgerald's reasoning to hold Miller
for 85 days was that rather than protecting confidential sources
she was in fact witness to a crime when she received the information
about Valerie Plame - what is the difference in Woodward's situation?
Why would Fitzgerald let Woodward off the hook (like Novak) if
Woodward hadn't really traded something in exchange? Just thinking
out loud, but this thing stinks and just doesn't flow with any
logic - and the timing is plain awful.

Leonard Downie Jr.: Both Woodward and Miller, as did
several other reporters, testified in Fitzgerald's investigation
only after being specifically released by their sources from
confidentiality agreements for the purpose of their testimony.

_______________________

Cleveland, Ohio: You say Woodward should have come
to you when the Novak piece broke. Isn't this unrealistic. Reporters
live by their sources. Increase the number of people in the know
(i.e. editors) and you increase the risk of exposure. The time
to come to you is when the reporter thinks he has a printable
story. Comment?

Leonard Downie Jr.: All of our reporters must tell
an editor the names of any confidential sources for information
or quotations in stories we publish. In addition, reporters must
tell an appropriate editor about anything that occurs in their
reporting that could be important to the newspaper, as this information
was.

_______________________

Branford, Conn.: I used to regard Mr. Woodward as a
hero, of sorts, for his valuable contributions during Watergate.
The recent revelations make me think he may be less than honorable
and self-serving.

Leonard Downie Jr.: Like all of us, Bob Woodward is
human and makes mistakes. On top of that, he has dealt with an
unusual amount of fame and the scrutiny that comes with that.
If you judge Bob by the journalism he has produced in this newspaper
and his books, you will find that it has stood the test of time
-- groundbreaking, accurate and fair accountability journalism
that has served our readers and other Americans well.

_______________________

College Park, Md.: My impression is that reporters
are becoming increasingly "players" rather than observers.
Reporters identify more with the elites they follow around and
go to dinner with, than the rabble they write for. Woodward's
reporting for example, looks more and more like insiders' stories.
Where can we outsiders turn for real investigative reporting?

Leonard Downie Jr.: On the one hand, the increasing
celebrity of many journalists -- thanks to television, the movies,
the Internet, etc. -- and the temptations that come with that
celebrity constitute a serious issue for journalism today. On
the other hand, Bob Woodward's access to the inner corridors
of power has steadily produced much real and impactful investigative
reporting. You can see it in the stories he produced for this
paper after 9-11. You can see it in his revelations about the
origins of the Iraq War in his most recent book, Plan of Attack.
And you will see more in the future.

_______________________

Buffalo, N.Y.: It seems with the advent of television
talk shows using journalists and the number of book deals out
there, journalists are much more independent from the newspapers
than they used to be and are almost promoting themselves. Some
might argue they are trying to become part of the news and influence/sell
government policy. What are editors doing to about this? Isn't
that why you have news sections and a separate editorial page?

Leonard Downie Jr.: You raise many good issues. First,
there is complete separation at the Washington Post between the
news content, which I supervise, and the editorial page, which
is overseen by Fred Hiatt, the editor of the editorial page.
Second, we have put in place rules governing outside work, including
books, and television appearances, although we think there is
value in having our best journalism reach as many people as possible
through our newspaper, this web site, television and radio appearances
and books. In their outside work and appearances, our journalists
(except our opinion journalists) are not supposed to express
personal opinions.

_______________________

Monrovia, Calif.: Woodward has said that Plame's CIA
employment was passed to him "casually," and believes
that the source contemporaneously believed that it was unimportant.

In light of these characterizations by Woodward, how is it
that he also thought the information was sufficiently important
that his source wanted it to remain on "deep background?"

This appears to be a disconnect. What are your thoughts?

Leonard Downie Jr.: This casual part of a long interview
for Bob's book was part of an overall confidential source agreement
that cannot be broken or taken apart in any way without the source's
permission. So far, the source has agreed only to Bob testifying
about their conversation in the Fitzgerald investigation.

Leonard Downie Jr.: We did not allow it. Bob did it
without careful thought in live television appearances. He should
not have done so. It was a violation of our rules for television
appearances by our journalists. Bob has acknowledged that and
apologized.

_______________________

Bel Air, Md.: Do you know if Mr. Woodward ever ask
his source to release him from his confidentiality agreement?
And if he hadn't then would you have recommended he try doing
that?

Leonard Downie Jr.: He has asked his source to do so.

_______________________

Chicago, Ill.: Obviously, either Pincus or Woodward
is lying. When you find out which one, will you fire him?

Leonard Downie Jr.: After talking to both of them at
length about this, I and they believe they each have honestly
different recollections of conversations two years ago. There
are a lot of such quick conversations among reporters in a busy
newsroom, not all of which are going to be accurately remembered
years later.

______________________

Richmond, Va.: I don't object to Woodward expressing
his opinion. What I object to is him doing so while he was involved
in the matter without making it clear that he was involved in
the matter. This is dishonest in the extreme, and in my view
has probably destroyed his credibility. From now on, anybody
can question the motives behind anything he says or writes. No
one has made such a claim, but any claim that he didn't know
better would not be credible. The Post will not even publish
a letter to the editor without the writer making known their
interest in the matter.

All of this is very unfortunate given his exceptional record.

Leonard Downie Jr.: You are correct in what you say,
and this mistake must be measured against what you rightly refer
to as Bob's exceptional record.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: To many of us Post readers, Mr. Woodward
appeared to be more interested in protecting his book than reporting
the news. I imagine he makes a lot more money writing books than
working for The Post. What can he and the Post do to restore
our trust the next time I read something on The Post by Mr. Woodward,
that he is telling all and not withholding some information for
his own profitability?

Leonard Downie Jr.: This was not information that Bob
was withholding for a book. It was an aside to the reporting
he was doing for his book. What Bob has published in the Post
has stood the test of time for accuracy and trustworthiness.
And significant contents of his books have regularly appeared
first in the Post in news stories by Bob and excerpts from his
books before their publication.

_______________________

Broomfield, Colo.: Greetings, will any of the info
Woodward has given you affect the Libby case?

Leonard Downie Jr.: I don't know. You can see from
one of our stories earlier this week that lawyers are speculating
both that it might affect it or that it won't.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: Will Libby's defense lawyers be able
to call Woodward and other journalists to testify at his trial?
Can you limit their questioning to the parameters agreed upon
by Fitzgerald?

Leonard Downie Jr.: That is an interesting question
for all the journalists caught up in the Plame investigation
and their news organizations. We will have to see what happens.

_______________________

Omaha, Neb.: Does Woodward always decide for us which
information he feels we need to know?

Does The Post approve of his filtering of information to your
readers?

Leonard Downie Jr.: No. His editors ultimately decide.
That is why he should have told me sooner about this piece of
information, whether or not we would have been able to report
it because of the confidential source agreement.

_______________________

Bel Air, Md.: If you had known about Woodward's role
two years ago, would that have had an impact on how you would
have evaluated the stories that other Post journalists were writing?
Stories about the CIA leak case.

Should Mr. Woodward apologize to the other journalists at
The Post?

Leonard Downie Jr.: Perhaps it would have had an impact,
so long as the confidential source agreement was not violated.
As to your second question, Bob's very public apology is to everyone.

_______________________

Milwaukee, Wis.: Do you think much of the criticism
of Woodward is from liberals upset that he has written favorably
of the President and criticized the special prosecutor?

Leonard Downie Jr.: Bob wrongly expressed opinions
about the Fitzgerald investigation. But he has not, in my view,
written favorably or unfavorably about the President. He has
impartially reported much important information about the President's
policies and actions and left readers to decide how to view the
President.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Thanks for doing this exchange. I
don't understand why there is an issue of confidentiality if
the exchange between a reporter is "gossip" rather
than "gathering info" for a story....does that mean
the default position is that everything is off the record when
talking with a reporter? That was not the case in the mid 80s
when I was a reporter/editor. Also, at the time the "gossip"
comment was made, there was no Fitzgerald (nor was there one
on the horizon), so those explanations for keeping quiet seem
somewhat constructed after the fact. Thanks.

Leonard Downie Jr.: Excellent question. The interview
that was taking place when the gossipy exchange took place was
entirely covered by a confidential source agreement. Therefore,
the gossipy exchange was, too. It wasn't as though it had occurred
in some other casual conversation outside the confidential source
agreement.

_______________________

South Hadley, Mass.: There seems to be a lot of speculation
about journalists' cozy ties to the administration -- especially
Bob Woodward with his three books on this administration. Have
you given any thought to publishing a piece by one of your investigative
reporters on the process by which journalists cultivate and access
government officials and all of the implications of this process
regarding the ethics of journalism and the public's right to
know?

Leonard Downie Jr.: Another good question. Our media
reporter, Howard Kurtz, writes frequently in our pages of about
this important issue and will continue to do so.

_______________________

Detroit, Mich.: Does The Post see a distinction between
info from confidential sources, where the purpose is to shed
light on government mal or misfeasance, and info that is part
of a coordinated campaign to silence critics?

Matt cooper of Time, when he was given the info, wrote a story
on the coordinated campaign against Ambassador Wilson. Others
merely dutifully reported the information, allowing the "leakers"
to hide behind the confidentiality granted by the reporters.

While there is much about Mr. Woodward's conduct that is disturbing,
if the Post and its brethren would adopt a policy that sources
understood would result in disclosure of info under these circumstances,
perhaps sunlight into government would be furthered rather than
lessened.

To quote another, better source: "Here's a good rule
of thumb. Don't shield powerful government officials who use
the press for partisan activity they know the public would disapprove
of. And, write the real story, not the partisan smear your valued
"sources" are feeding you for the privilege of future
access.

It will pay off in the long run. You'll find yourself facing
subpoenas and jail time far less often. "

Leonard Downie Jr.: I've gone overtime because there
are so many questions, many of which I just can't get to, so
this will be the last. Any time a reporter enters into a confidential
source relationship, it must not be violated, no matter what
the source's motive may be. That is why it is important that
reporters enter into them carefully and keep their editors informed
when necessary. It is a difficult and important tool of journalism
that we must work to use properly every day, which is not always
easy.

Thank you all for your interest and good questions.

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